PHOENIX — Bryan Hudson is no stranger to the White Sox’ roster shuffle in the bullpen.
The team added the lanky southern Illinois native late last season, sent him to the Mets and then plucked him off the waiver wire again on opening weekend. Since then, Hudson has settled in as one of manager Will Venable’s most consistent performers in a high-turnover pen.
“He’s been really special,” Venable said before Hudson tossed another scoreless inning Wednesday. The 6-8 lefty has posted a 1.69 ERA in 11 appearances, and hadn’t surrendered a run this month entering the Sox’ series finale against the Diamondbacks Thursday.
“It’s all just been working,” said Hudson, who grew up near downstate Alton. “I’ve been able to be a lot more synced up in my mechanics, and just throwing everything with a lot more confidence.”
Venable pointed to a rejuvenated four-seam fastball the journeyman perfected in his best season in ‘24 with the Brewers and then-staffer Walker McKinven, now the Sox’ bench coach.
“He always wants to pitch. He wants to be in that big moment,” Venable said. “He’s been huge for us.”
Position player pitching
The Sox’ newest pitcher was a first baseman a few years ago.
The team called up right-hander Tyler Davis, who was solely a position player in his final season in 2023 at Sam Houston State University in Texas, and figured that was the plan when he went to play for the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League the next year.
“When I went to independent ball, my pitching coach [Jim Dietrich] there was like, ‘Hey buddy, let’s put the bat down. Let’s focus on pitching and see where that takes you,’” Davis said inside his first big-league clubhouse. “Got three at-bats and he made me stop hitting.”
The Sox picked him up two weeks later. He pitched to a 3.46 ERA across four levels of the farm system in ‘24, and posted a 3.64 mark in 41 relief appearances with 64 strikeouts and 21 walks last season at Double-A Birmingham.
Davis, 27, surrendered 4 runs in 7 ⅓ innings before being promoted. “The kind of journey I’ve been on, it’s not the traditional one. So to get that call, it meant everything.”
He stands ready to step in if Munetaka Murakami needs a break at first.
“If he ever wants one, I’ll give him a shot,” Davis joked. “I think we have some other guys who’ll do a better job.”
Mune’s message
“Being patient, enduring hardship and overcoming obstacles to succeed even in those hardships.”
They’re words to live by, and wear, for the slugging sensation Murakami, who took heed of the wisdom from a high school teacher and has the Japanese characters stitched on the belt he wears on the field every day.
“It’s an important phrase,” Murakami said via interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “That’s why I have it embedded into the belt, so that I really focus into those words every day.”
The results have spoken for themselves over Murakami’s first four weeks in big leagues, where the rookie feels like he’s found a supportive home with the Sox.
“I love the team very much,” he said. “All my teammates are very open to communication. They are really just good teammates overall. Staff, coaches, I love them very much.”
Coming and going
The Sox DFA’d reliever Lucas Sims (0-2, 4.50 ERA) to make room for Davis, while left-hander Chris Murphy was scheduled to start a rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A Charlotte in his return from an elbow injury.